Namesake nightcap

Posted at 10:07 pm by Patrick under Panama Spring Break:2006

On our way back from dinner, we stopped by a gas station for a beer and chocolate fix (beer for me, chocolate for Andrea).

At a cool 50 cents, I had to try the national beer, Panama. Like all of the beers I’ve had here so far, this one is brewed with “adjuntos”, or adjuncts. If I had to guess whether it’s rice or corn, I’d say rice — it doesn’t have the telltale DMS odor.

It also weighs in at 4.8 percent, so you can swap this and Balboa interchangeably for your drinking needs.

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Post Canal refreshment

Posted at 4:50 pm by Patrick under Panama Spring Break:2006

After seeing a ship or two traverse the canal via tug trains, we decided it was high time for a beer. Luckily the (air-con!) bar at the Miraflores visitor center had bottled Atlas on hand.

Man, that Atlas is some easy-drinking stuff!

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Looks like we made it…

Posted at 4:45 pm by Patrick under Panama Spring Break:2006

Badly side-lit photo aside (we’ll replace it with a better one later from home), we’re at the Miraflores locks of the Panama Canal.

It takes an average of 8 hours for a ship to traverse the length of the entire canal. This set of locks is the closest to the Pacific Ocean, so it’s either the first or last ones a ship enters before continuing its journey.

Each lock can drain 3 million gallons of water per minute (!!!) via gravity to raise or lower a vessel.

Here, the Miranela makes its way back to the Pacific.

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The Panama Canal is around here somewhere

Posted at 1:39 pm by Patrick under Panama Spring Break:2006

Let me start by saying that I’m usually pretty good at navigating in strange cities. But, for whatever reason, I’m feeling a lot like Clark Griswold when he ends up circling that London roundabout about 40 times — “Look Rusty. Parliament. Big Ben.”

We’re stopped in an out-of-the-way shopping center in Vista Allegre to gather ourselves, get over the onset of car sickness, and buy a map of the country. Hopefully, we can actually make it to the Miraflores locks today.

Panama 1, Patrick 0

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